


The Pinks, the Reds, and the Blues

by hisboywriter



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: M/M, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-14
Updated: 2013-02-14
Packaged: 2017-11-29 05:29:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/683380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hisboywriter/pseuds/hisboywriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Billy's got the V-day blues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pinks, the Reds, and the Blues

 

**-X-**

 

Billy always tried convincing himself that Valentine’s Day was dumb.

 

It was easy to think so when squished under the exhilaration of fellow classmates, most of who seemed to have a special someone or planned to by the end of the day. There were too many besotted and dreamy smiles, whispers of what might be given or received, and talk of his school’s Carnation Sensation event, where one could buy a carnation (pink for ‘I like you’, red for ‘I love you’) for someone who probably wouldn't last long.

 

The pungent scent of that flower booth Billy passed by during lunch period was luring him in instead of repelling him, and he hated that he glanced over each time to see people scribbling messages, some anonymously, wondering if there was one secretly waiting for him. It was just as bad that he found himself sneaking peeks at couples rendezvousing in the hallway between periods.

 

While the revelry was suffocating Billy, it sure was doing a good job of loosening the tenacity of his opinion with each passing hour.

 

Sure, the marketing campaign for Valentine’s Day was an affront, but it was effective despite any and all single people’s grumbling. And really, while Billy was of the opinion that sharing affection shouldn’t be limited to one grand feat a year, what was wrong with getting a carnation or a one of those especially soft bears? Hell, Billy didn’t even like those bears but if a boyfriend had gotten him one, he knew he’d prop it proudly on a shelf in his room. Maybe even hug it late at night after a taxing day.

 

So maybe he wasn’t that good at convincing himself all this was dumb.

 

He should have been glad that the holiday had choked the life out of the whispers that’d been filtering homeroom to homeroom about Billy Kaplan, rumors that had sparked since the last day Kessler ever put his hands on Billy. They ranged from one end of the spectrum to the other; Billy Kaplan might be a mutant; Billy Kaplan took Kessler down with a glare alone; Billy Kaplan used reason and compassion to tame the irascible Kessler. 

 

Billy didn't like any of it.

 

Not that the rumors would have compiled up to much, Billy figured. He had expected repercussions the next day, thought he’d be branded a mutant or worse, have his parents find out what had occurred that fateful day. The opposite had happened; Billy had not been called by any administrator. Had Kessler, or maybe his ego, refused to allow anyone to think he was bested or made a fool of or seen as a victim of a mutant?

 

Whatever had kept those who had witnessed the event quiet, Kessler had never approached him after that. At most, Billy had once caught his gaze, saw the fury and something else (fear?) in his eyes before Kessler stormed away.

 

Good or bad as that was, it was just one more piece of ammunition life had aimed at Billy, only today it was in the guise of large teddy-bears, flowers, jewelry, and all sorts of pinks and reds.

 

The final bell rang, spilling the mentioned revelry into the streets of the city. Billy sighed and treaded home with heavy feet and heavier heart, bombarded with Valentine’s Day paraphernalia on every corner. Best to just head home to collect his thoughts, as he wasn’t going to get anywhere out here.

 

Just as he decided that, Billy passed by a bakery with a display stuffed with cupcakes and cakes, all adorned for love and so meticulously done even he had to appreciate them. It wouldn’t be so bad to have someone give him a treat, right? For him, a bruise was the closest thing to affection a boy had ever given him. If he could have someone he could mope to about all the bedlam going on inside him, maybe help him organize his thoughts and assuage his troubles with a hug and a cupcake—

 

His thoughts crashed to a halt as his eyes lifted.

 

Inside the shop, Billy caught sight of an all too familiar mop of hair and expanse of shoulders.

 

 _Teddy_.

 

The blonde was chatting with a woman behind the counter, purchasing something. His entire demeanor was lax, the way Billy wish he could be when talking to people.

 

 _Turn away, walk quickly_ , those were the initial reactions Billy wanted to oblige by. Why though, he couldn’t exactly say other than his stomach was doing funny things as he continued to observe Teddy.

 

They’d never met outside of the few times Nate had gathered them together as a group, and it felt strange seeing Teddy in a casual environment, the cashier none the wiser for what antics the cute blonde would be up to this weekend with a team of would-be superheroes.

 

 _Cute_. Billy stomped on that word before it could amplify throughout his entire concentration.

 

_Just go in and say hi. You’re teammates now. Saying hi is okay…_

 

The longer Billy stared, the more he realized that power and courage Nate spoke of being inside him was not fertilized enough: Billy spun on his heels and marched down the street.

 

 _Smooth, Kaplan,_  he told himself.

 

He clung hard to the strap of his backpack and steeled himself, burying in the corner of his mind that fantasy of having someone smiling just because he was there. Somehow having just seen Teddy made that fantasy stubborn and try to stay at the forefront of his mind.

 

Now more than ever he sought solace in one of his favorite spots in lieu of heading straight home. Billy groaned and scrubbed his hands through his hair, not caring if he tussled it, just wanting to rub some sense back into his mind. As it was, he was feeling like flotsam lost at sea, unable to find stability in this new chapter of his life with powers he barely had a grip on, a team, a—

 

“Hey!”

 

Billy kept walking, barely hearing the voice over the accumulation of his own thoughts.

 

“Billy!”

 

Billy stopped. It couldn’t be.

 

It could; Billy glanced over his shoulder. There was little he could do but gape, feeling as if some cruel deity had plucked Teddy from his thoughts and deposited him there to further soil things.

 

 “Billy, hey,” Teddy laughed, waving at him. “I thought I saw you back a couple blocks.”

 

If nothing else, Billy had enough wit to stammer a reply, “Oh, h-hey, Teddy. I didn’t realize...”

 

Teddy closed the gap between them in a few strides of his long legs, and Billy couldn’t help himself from soaking in the sight of him. Even under layers of clothing Teddy looked great, his small smile the best accessory on him. In his hand he held a bag from the bakery.

 

As that smile blossomed, Billy felt something stir in his stomach, something he’d later consider were those notorious butterflies he heard people speak of. Teddy had followed him just to say hello? Billy didn’t know what to do with that information, but it certainly had his body suffused with warmth.

 

“Good to see you,” Teddy said, and Billy believed that. “I mean, we’ve never actually seen each other when not with the others.”

 

Billy nodded, swallowing to de-dry his throat. “Um, were you at the bakery?” he asked. He should have kept it short and head to his own place, but something foreign and powerful came out of nowhere and  made him want to extend this moment as long as possible.

 

“Huh?” Teddy glanced down at Billy’s gesturing hand. “Oh, yeah. My mom loves to make lots of treats for Valentine’s Day for co-workers and friends. She asked me to pick up some of these stick things she uses for some of them.”

 

“You didn’t have school?”

 

Billy wasn’t sure, but thought he saw a frown trying to crawl out of Teddy.

 

“Ah, no, I had practice,” Teddy said. “But we ended early."

 

Some kind of aggression that had been dormant in Billy for too long sprung out at the drop in Teddy's voice. "Did something happen?"

 

"No, not exactly. Sorry,” Teddy added at the concern Billy couldn’t keep out of his expression. “Just stupid drama. We teenagers are full of them, right?”

 

“Oh. Right." Billy thought to change the subject before he really spoiled Teddy's mood. "I’m just, er, was heading home.”

 

_What, no, not that. Ask him how his day was._

 

Teddy was already answering though. “I thought you lived the other way," he said, tilting his head.

 

A little rush of delight rippled through Billy at Teddy remembering where he had lived, or at least the general area of it.

 

“Yeah,” Billy said, smiling, “but sometimes I take the long way. The, ah, Avengers Mansion is right there. Sometimes I like to sit around there and catch a breather.”

 

“Oh, yeah,” Teddy said, eyes lifting over Billy’s head. “Our HQ. I still can’t believe it some days.”

 

He started walking toward it, and Billy, flummoxed and flustered, could only eagerly follow him.

“I know, me neither,” Billy said.

 

Winter did little to drag down the Avengers Mansion’s splendor, at least to Billy. He sat on a bench facing the building, letting his backpack crumble between his feet.  Teddy took the spot beside him.

 

The area was not as vacant as he liked given the bite from the weather, as if couples leapt at the excuse to cuddle into one another, sharing body heat as they braved through the cold together.

 

Billy inhaled deeply. At the least no one was looking their way, giving him a moment to drink in the mansion. To think it had been a mere, few weeks since Nate appeared at this spot, and less so since Billy met his other teammates, all of which were major tangents in his life that he still expected to wake up from dreaming any moment.

 

The team barely met up in those first few weeks, everyone carving out time in their schedules to prepare for the endeavor Billy still couldn’t believe he was being a part of, that he had agreed to.

 

On the one hand, there was Asguardian who would be taking the role of a lesser Thor, soon to rigorously train and who knew what else; on the other hand was Billy, sitting on a bench with Teddy, wishing he didn’t mind loneliness and instead could be one of those people who mastered aloofness.

 

Silence between people was often uncomfortable, though Billy couldn’t say why. Yet as he watched couples trickle by and admired the mansion, Billy didn’t feel any of that as he shared the quiet with Teddy. To say on the inside he was calm, however, was an entirely different matter.

 

“I can see why you like this spot,” Teddy said after a while, turning to look at him.

 

Billy glanced at him.  Did Teddy have a lot of social obligations? A lot of friends? Was he feeling as uprooted as Billy felt lately?

 

Did he have a special someone?

 

“Yeah. Kind of silly though to be looking at it now that we’re actually using it, huh?” Billy said.

 

“I don’t think it’s silly at all.”

 

Billy smiled faintly, but had to break eye contact for the sake of his insides. He looked down at his hands, flexing them and what power they housed inside, power he didn’t understand or thought he could understand without being terrified of it. It was easier to think about his teammates instead, but he was an idiot if he denied he didn’t think about one of them more than the others, the one that was drifting in and out of those aforementioned fantasies.

 

“Teddy,” he said, because he could, and it somehow made him feel better. “Do you think we can really pull this off, what Nate said?”

 

Teddy was the biggest of them all, but already Billy thought his size matched his compassion from the few times they’d met up. Teddy wouldn't mock him. And if Teddy was cute too, Billy supposed there was no getting around that, though it was certainly something he did not plan on sharing with anyone. He barely admitted it just now.

 

“It’s a pretty big endeavor,” Teddy said, voice firm. “I don’t think I’d be part of it if I didn’t really believe in what we were doing. Do you?”

 

“I do,” Billy insisted. He’d asked himself a dozen times if misguided intentions had caused him agree to all this, if it wasn’t the hope of a lonely, unsure guy that was hungry for companionship and being something more that urged him to meet the others.  And each time, he landed at the conclusion that he did believe what they were doing.

 

He flicked his eyes up to find Teddy staring at him, lines etched around his eyes. Billy had seen that same expression on his parents before, never on anyone else, but its implications on Teddy made the mage’s heart hammer away. Billy couldn’t tear his eyes away if he had tried.

 

The lines softened, and Teddy was left smiling softly. “You do,” he agreed, “but,” he fingered the air, encouraging Billy to finish the line.

 

“But what?” he said back.

 

With an arched brow, Teddy went on. “I think you know what I mean. You're smart.”

 

“I don’t know,” Billy said, rather grumbled, lowering his eyes.

 

He didn’t think he’d been so obvious, yet the alternative of Teddy having been studying him that closely the few times they had met up was not an option.

 

“Billy?”

 

The voice was too much, a hook inside Billy that had him look up.

 

Billy met Teddy’s face again, surprised to find him looking so honest. Biting on his tongue was all Billy could manage, unsure he could trust what would come out of him.

 

Teddy looked a bit preoccupied with his thoughts. Why, Billy didn't know. Then, the blonde blew out a string of air and scratched the back of his neck.

 

“Listen, Billy,” Teddy said, “I don’t know about you, but things have…really changed since Nate found me. I feel like my life’s kind of gone upside down in some ways. This whole team thing is new and I’m sure we’ll mess up along the way, but, we’re going to be a team. We  _are_  a team.”

 

Teddy paused as if to make sure Billy hadn’t mentally fallen asleep. As it was, Billy was on the edge of his seat, managing a little nod as Teddy spoke.

 

Satisfied, Teddy continued, but not without laughing nervously first. “Sheesh, this is kind of awkward. Sorry. Look, I guess I’m just trying to say that we look out for each other. That’s what a team does, and while I’m not going to force you to say or do anything, we help each other.”

 

The words didn’t so much as sink in as feel like a wallop to Billy’s chest. Something in the way Teddy’s eyes shifted, seeming almost sad, and his tone dipped told Billy there was more to what made Teddy sound like an expert on the subject.

 

Billy finally had the vigor to look away completely, watching the mansion though it looked the same as always. He felt Teddy shift beside him, maybe wondering if he’d said too much or walked on a nerve that a new teammate had no right to be traveling on. 

 

Billy felt as if he just arrived at something ineffable. Swallowing hard, Billy rubbed his palms together, tempted to let the silence between them speak on his behalf.

 

Then again, Billy wasn’t doing a fine job today of convincing himself of much.

 

“I know Nate told you my powers were,” Billy cringed a bit, “underdeveloped. They appeared just a little bit before Nate showed up. And," a deep breath, "I almost killed someone when they did.” 

 

“Billy—“

 

“I know,” Billy interrupted, “I didn’t intend for it to happen, but that doesn’t change the fact that my powers, magic, whatever,  _did_ almost cause serious harm to someone.” He rubbed his hands together, as if trying to brush off the week's worth of malaise. "Nate keeps trying to encourage me to not be so tense when I use my magic, but...been kind of difficult lately."

 

There was a stretch of silence, and Billy began to suspect Teddy wouldn’t reply.

 

“You know, Billy,” Teddy said, “you have a lot more in you than you give yourself credit for.”

 

Billy opened his mouth, then shut it quickly before he could say something stupid.

 

“I mean it,” Teddy said, as if he’d read his mind. “I’ve seen you practice and I can tell you’re scared to hurt someone or mess up.”

 

“I think that’s a legit concern for a bunch of teenagers trying this superhero thing.”

 

“It’s okay to be cautious, but, to be honest, you’re more on the paranoid side, no offense.”

 

Billy snorted. “How can I take offense to being called paranoid?”

 

Teddy laughed again, and Billy found a genuine smile inside himself.

 

“But you know I’m serious, right?” Teddy asked. “I think you’re just overthinking.”

 

“I guess we all have problems and baggage,” Billy replied, not daring to mention how accurate Teddy’s assumptions of him were playing out. It only fueled the little fantasies.

 

“And I’m not saying you gotta air it all out. All I’m asking is if you trust me.”

 

Turning his head again, Billy caught Teddy’s sincerity.

 

“Trust you?” Billy repeated.

 

Teddy smiled in response.

 

It was a heavy question, and yet Billy didn’t skip a beat when he nodded, praying to any gods out there that favored him that it wasn’t a product of his hope getting the best of him.

 

Teddy all but grinned at that. “Alright, listen,” he said. “I know we’re going to be training often with the other guys more frequently starting this weekend, but, and you can totally say no if you want, you could come to my place sometime. My mom has these self-help books,” at Billy’s wrinkled nose he persisted, “hey, she swears by them! They’re supposed to help regulate the energy of your life, that kind of thing. I bet if we look into them, we can find something to help you control your magic.”

 

Now the gods were all mocking Billy, presenting such turn of quixotic events on the silver platter that was Teddy Altman. By the time Teddy was rummaging in his pocket, Billy realized he didn’t want to say no to the offer, yet was unsure how to agree. It seemed even nodding was too daunting a task.

 

“Here,” Teddy was saying, unaware of Billy’s dilemma. He had his phone palmed. “Nate said we were going to exchange numbers eventually, but no harm doing it a bit early.” He looked up. “Unless…”

 

“Oh, no, no that’s,” Billy dove for his backpack, “great. No problem.”

 

Alright, Billy could at least confess that notion of aloofness was just not for him. His fingers fumbling for his own phone was enough of a giveaway, if the tingles in his lips that kept him smiling weren’t enough.

 

They swapped numbers, Billy grinning unknowingly when Teddy sent a practice text.

 

“You wanna just text me when you’re free for that?” Teddy asked. “I think I’m free tomorrow after school. It’s a Friday too so it might be easier.”

 

“It can’t hurt to try. Sure thing. I mean, I think I’m free.”

 

“Great.”

 

Billy clutched his phone as they shared an amiable quiet again. A pang struck him just then,  to just pour himself out to Teddy, to bitch about how people still whispered about him at school, to whine about how silly Valentine’s Day was, to ask if Teddy could relate to any of it and more.

 

All was too raw still, and Billy willed his eagerness to settle down. For now, he had Teddy’s number and that was enough.

 

Until then, he buried deep and unearthed a little tidbit of courage that had always been inside of him and said, “Hey, and, ah, thanks. I know I can be kind of, erm, shy.”

 

“Shy? You?” Teddy chuckled. “No way. You’re not shy. I don’t think so.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Like I said, I think you’re just overthinking a lot. I know we haven’t done much with the team or anything, but I don’t know where the heck you get shy from.”

 

Billy fiddled with his phone, flabbergasted he couldn’t find a suitable answer. “I guess things have just been…weird lately. I never had a problem with myself. I guess I was letting other people's problems with me make me forget who I am."

 

A hand pressed into his shoulder, the gesture as warming as the palm was. It would be much later Billy understood that Teddy extended comfort through physical interaction, just as he would later remember the pressure of Teddy's hand on his shoulder.

 

“Don’t worry,” Teddy said, “we’ll prove to you that you’re okay just as you are. Just dandy.”

 

The hand retreated, Billy stifling the resulting feeling of when it left. “Yeah? And what about you?”

 

“What about me?”

 

“Don’t I get to show you that you’re okay just as you are too?”

 

Teddy looked taken aback, for only a fraction of a heartbeat. “Yeah,” he said, “I guess you do.”

 

“Okay. Sounds like a plan.”

 

Already Billy felt warmer, warmer than any of the couples huddling in the cold.

 

Working down what he refused to believe was a blush, Billy cleared his throat “Hey, I—“

 

A chime cut him off. Teddy shot him an apologetic look before peering at his phone.

 

“Ah, crap from my mom,” he said, hoisting up to his feet. “Sorry, I guess she's ready to put the treats in the oven. I gotta get going." He lifted his bag. "Sorry, what were you saying?”

 

Disappointment should have filled Billy, and yet he felt fine, better even than when he began his journey home. Joining Teddy to stand, he nodded. “Nothing. No worries. It was cool getting to hang out a little. Outside of the team thing.”

 

“What are friends for?”

 

Billy thought a light went on inside him at that word. “Yeah,” he answered. “Just a couple of guys leaping into a perilous adventure of becoming superheroes.”

 

The chuckle that earned him was worth the drama of the day as far as Billy was concerned.

 

“Yeah, totally orthodox,” Teddy added on, looping his finger in the air in the universal symbol for ‘crazy’.

 

Billy laughed. It had been a while since he heard it sound so heartfelt, and it was ridiculous how good it made him feel. There was something satisfying about Teddy playing along with his silliness.

 

“Alright, then I’ll hopefully see you tomorrow.” Teddy waved at him, heading off.

 

"Likewise."

 

Just as Billy reluctantly turned away from watching him go, he heard Teddy call out his name.

 

By the time he turned around, Teddy had jogged back by his side.

 

The blonde fished through the bag and plucked out a small pastry shaped into a heart, twinkling with red and pink sprinkles. Its sweet aroma uncoiled toward Billy and as it was placed in his palm, he was happy to feel it was still warm.

 

Teddy’s face broke into a sheepish look, as if what he was about to say was corny but he didn’t care. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

 

Billy didn’t know how to react, juggling between laughing and letting his skin melt off, or maybe losing his heart to the sky. In the end he settled for a half-laugh as he said back, “Wow. Um—“

 

“They sell the best pastries in the whole city,” Teddy went on. “I got the last few and figured you should try one. My mom is one of those people who think everyone deserves a little treat on V-Day. Hence why she'll probably scold me all night for getting back late.”

 

That explained all the baking, Billy supposed. His delight skyrocketed as the warmth of the treat spread up his arm.

 

“My elementary school use to have us decorate shoe boxes and classmates would put cards in them,” Billy said.

 

Teddy quirked a brow. “Are you saying I should expect a decked out shoe box?”

 

“It’s fair warning.”

 

Teddy rewarded that with a final smile. “Well, I’m pretty big on Adidas.”

 

Billy shook his head, biting back another laugh, which worked its way out anyway. After struggling to convince one out of him for so long, it was no wonder he was poorly equipped to keep it down.

 

They parted ways at last, Billy mesmerized with the gift in his hand the entire trip home. It might not have been a declaration of adoration, though in future dreams it would play out that way. Either way, Billy would savor its presence as long as possible, shrugging off his mom's curiosities about it. He didn't care if it was odd, ridiculous, or a litany of other embarrassing labels, to set the wrapped treat on his desk for viewing purposes only. 

 

Eventually he'd eat it, never again catching the Valentine's Day blues.

 

**-X-**


End file.
